Once again people - get your ready reckoner and slide rule out. This is quite important stuff so it is worth noting - if you can work out how many calories you need as you are currently living, you can then workout if you are over or under eating. Yes, under eating!!
You need to know your BMR which is your Basal Metabolic Rate, this is the number of calories you burn at rest over 24 hours. Still with me? Good - this bits interesting, at rest means still maintaining respiration, digestion and brain function - this accounts for 60-75 % of the calories you burn each day!! So even when we are breathing we are working out!!
WORKING OUT YOU BMR
- Women BMR=weight in kilos x 2 x 11
- Men BMR = weight in kilos x 2 x 12
- So for a woman who weighs 60kg BMR = 60 x 2 x 11 = 1,320Kcals
Now you need to work out your Physical Activity Level - PAL. This is the ratio of your overall daily energy use to your BMR (!) Basically its a how much you move during the day and how much energy you use up doing it!
WORKING OUT YOUR PAL
- Mostly inactive or sedentary (sitting): 1.2
- Fairly active (walking and exercise 1-2 x a week): 1.3
- Moderately active (exercise 2-3 x a week): 1.4
- Active (exercise hard more than 3 x a week): 1.5
- Very active (exercise hard daily): 1.7
Got all those numbers? Now times your BMR by your PAL thus working out your daily calorie needs to MAINTAIN your current weight. If your lucky to have toms of muscle, add 150 calories.
So - to lose weight, reduce your daily calorie intake by 15% (multiply your end figure by 0.85) hey presto, this should give you a weekly weight loss of around 1lb a week. Healthy, safe and maintainable weight loss.
To gain weight, increase your daily calories by 20% (multiply your end figure by 1.20 add a bit of resistance training and you could increase your weight by up to 1lb per month
60kg woman = 1,351 x 1.5 = 2.027